N° 36 : Our Lady’s requests at Fatima

Newsletter n° 36 (29 September 2016)

Dear friends,

The worry provoked by the situation, not only of our country, but also of the world in general, should encourage us to meditate seriously on the words of Our Lady in the secret which She confided to the three little shepherds at Fatima on the 13th of July 1917 : « If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. (…) If my wishes are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. » Twice on the same day, Our Lady affirmed that if we did what she asked, the world would find peace ! If we really wanted to have peace, therefore, we should make sure that Our Lady’s requests have really been satisfied. But, what are these requests ?

The terms used in the first sentence (« If you do what I tell you ») give an idea of the requests to come, namely : « I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the communion of reparation on the first Saturdays of the month. » On the other hand, the expression in the second sentence (« If my wishes are fulfilled ») could refer to all previous requests. Now, just before speaking about the consecration of Russia and the first Saturdays of the month, Our Lady made two other requests : « I want you (…) to continue saying the Rosary every day in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary in order to obtain peace in the world » and « Make sacrifices for sinners and say often, especially each time you make a sacrifice : ‘’O, Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary’’ ».

Moreover, as for the first request, not only does Our Lady make it at each apparition, but twice she specified : « Say the Rosary ever day to obtain peace.» (on the 13th of May and the 13th of July 1917). This request is therefore included in the conditions to obtain peace.

The second request was also made several times. Our Lady renewed it on the 19th of August 1917 and the Angel of Peace had already expressed it the previous year (apparition of summer 1916), stipulating : « In this way, you will bring peace to your country. » Because the conversion of sinners is indeed a condition for having peace in the world. In fact, wars are the consequence of the misconduct of men. Therefore, if sinners stop sinning, wars will cease. So, it really is another condition for obtaining peace.

It seems to us that it is necessary to add to these four requests a fifth, which is of particular importance, because it is made up of the very last words pronounced by Our Lady at Fatima : « Do not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended. » It is good to pray for the conversion of sinners, but we are ourselves sinners and we should also convert. This request is therefore in addition to our sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. Consequently, if the conversion of sinners is a condition for peace, our own conversion is, too.

Thus, in order to grant us peace, Our Lady made five requests. Two were expressed in the future tense (« I will come to ask for ») ; the three others were expressed in the present. If we really want peace, we should therefore make sure that these different requests have indeed been fulfilled and, if this is not exactly the case, see how they can be realised as soon as possible.

In all logic, those expressed in the present tense have priority over those expressed in the future. These three requests in the present only depend on ourselves : say our Rosary every day, offer the sacrifices of our daily lives for the conversion of sinners, and obey divine law so as to no longer offend our Lord. If we want peace, we should fulfill these requests without delay. It’s up to us to do it ! Nobody else can do it for us. Moreover, not only should we put them into practice, but also encourage those around us to do the same, especially by making them aware of Fatima’s message. Do we realise that it is on our diligence in following these requests of Our Lady that peace in the world depends ? This is what Sister Lucia affirmed to Father Aparicio in a letter which we have already quoted several times in our previous newsletters : « Whether there is war or peace in the world depends on the practice of this devotion (the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary), combined with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. »

The message of Our Lady is therefore clear : if we want peace, we must begin by fulfilling the requests She made at Fatima, beginning first of all with the three which concern us directly, namely : say our Rosary every day, offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, and obey divine law. (We will examine the other two requests in the following newsletters.)

Henceforth, we are just one year away from the centenary of the apparitions at Fatima. Make the most of this year to try to always improve our practice of these different requests and to ensure that as many of us as possible be convinced of the urgent necessity to fulfill them so that the world will thereby find peace.

Briefly, this is not a historical film, because it deliberately avoids real facts and moreover it states in the credits that it is only « based on a true story ». Also, the film is focused above all on the sensational and is almost completely silent on the essential points of the message of Fatima : the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the daily recitation of the Rosary, the urgent necessity to make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, …

Faced with the worrying situation in our country, l’abbé Barnay, parish priest in the diocese of Belley-Ars, has launched a Novena Mass for France on the first Thursday of every month. We happily transmit his desire to see the greatest number of you associate with his initiative. For more information, see the page :http://catholique-belley- ars.cef.fr/blog/2016/08/118442/